Olney On Marlins, Bundy, Matsuzaka, Mariners
It appears that the Diamondbacks will be among the most aggressive teams on the trade market this summer. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney has an update on another team preparing to make deals and other notes from around the league…
- The Marlins will also be among the most aggressive teams on the trade market, Olney reports. President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said this week that he believes in his team’s prospects and doesn’t see glaring holes on the Marlins.
- Olney points out that talent evaluators love high schooler Dylan Bundy and suggests the right-hander will be selected early on in Monday’s draft.
- It’s a reasonable guess that Daisuke Matsuzaka’s Red Sox career is over, according to Olney. The Red Sox probably didn’t get their money’s worth on their $103MM investment, but it's not like Matsuzaka's career numbers are bad (4.25 ERA, 622 2/3 innings, 8.2 K/9, 4.4 BB/9, 10.4 WAR). The right-hander will undergo Tommy John surgery.
- As Olney pointed out yesterday, the Mariners will have to monitor Michael Pineda’s workload this summer. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik says they’ll watch Pineda’s pitch count and innings count with a common-sense approach, rather than a “hard and fast rule.”
Marlins Confident In System, Could Seek Depth
The Marlins' farm system ranked 29th in baseball before the season, according to Baseball America and ESPN, partly since former top prospects like Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison have graduated to the Major Leagues. Yet Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest told Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel that his system isn’t as bare as it seems and that the Marlins have players they could move in summer trades.
“We have pieces,” Beinfest said. “Some of them we may not want to move, but I can’t remember a situation where we haven’t been able to make a trade because of inventory. There are definitely situations where we haven’t wanted to move that inventory."
Beinfest insists that the Marlins have pitching depth despite injuries to Alex Sanabia and Sean West. They expect John Buck (.658 OPS) and Hanley Ramirez (.615 OPS) to hit better, so Beinfest says he doesn’t see glaring holes on the Marlins, who are atop the NL Wild Card standings with a 31-23 record.
“We like what we see,” he said. “We think we have the right people. An injury can change things as we get closer to the deadline. You always want to enhance. Maybe depth is an issue.”
Rosenthal On Betemit, Reds, Indians
The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…
- The Marlins are "among the teams tracking" Royals third baseman Wilson Betemit. The 29-year-old is a free agent after the season and has hit .303/.378/.488 in 492 plate appearances in his Royals career. Betemit is earning only $1MM, so any team could fit him in. He has experience all around the infield and has dabbled at the outfield corners as well. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith discussed his trade candidacy earlier this month.
- "There is not a lot of pitching to be had. It would be tough to get anyone if we do need someone," remarked Reds GM Walt Jocketty to Rosenthal. The Reds' rotation has been surprisingly lousy this year, but Travis Wood, Bronson Arroyo, and Mike Leake are not as bad as their cumulative 5.33 ERA suggests.
- Orlando Cabrera's impact is "very difficult to quantify," Indians GM Chris Antonetti tells Rosenthal. You have to wonder if O-Cab could provide the same intangibles off the bench, allowing the Tribe to start Cord Phelps or Jason Kipnis at second base.
East Notes: Marlins, Anderson, Encarnacion, Phillies
Here's the latest from the eastern side of the baseball map…
- Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest tells MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez that the team wants to "concentrate on the season right now" and wouldn't comment on whether the Fish would offer Edwin Rodriguez a contract extension before the year is up. Rodriguez, who took over as Florida's manager last June, is only on a one-year deal.
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The Yankees released Trenton Thunder reliever Brian Anderson, according to Thunder reporter Mike Ashmore (on Twitter). The former outfielder was on the DL with a biceps issue.
- The Yankees also released southpaw Andrew Sisco, according to the International League's transactions page. Sisco posted a 5.18 ERA in 151 relief appearances for the Royals and White Sox between 2005-07 and hasn't been back to the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2008. Sisco, 28, had a 1.88 ERA and a 9.4 K/9 rate in 16 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, though he'd also allowed 12 walks in 14 1/3 innings pitched.
- Dave Cameron of Fangraphs calls for the Blue Jays to release Edwin Encarnacion or at least permanently relegate him to the bench. "[Encarnacion is] an absolute disaster in the field, and his bat simply doesn’t even come close to making up for it," Cameron writes.
- J.C. Ramirez, one of the prospects the Phillies received in the Cliff Lee trade, has pitched well at Double-A this season, writes Jim Salisbury for Baseball America.
- It looks as if Domonic Brown will remain with the Phillies when Shane Victorino returns from the DL, reports Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. This could mean the Phils send John Mayberry Jr. down to the minors, or perhaps Rule 5 draft pick Michael Martinez, who would of course have to be offered back to the Nationals.
- The Orioles are expected to release right-hander Ryan Drese, reports Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com. Drese, 35, last pitched in the majors in 2006 and currently has a 6.55 ERA in nine games (six of them starts) for Triple-A Norfolk.
- Overpaying for a designated hitter is "a new market inefficiency," writes Jason Collette of the DRaysBay blog. Collette suggests the Rays (and other teams) should look to fill the DH spot with the same low-cost approach that the Rays used to rebuild their bullpen this winter.
MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith also contributed to this post
Rays Claim Jay Buente; Designate Rob Delaney
The Rays claimed righty Jay Buente off waivers from the Marlins and created a 40-man roster spot by designating pitcher Rob Delaney for assignment, tweets The Tampa Tribune. The Rays then optioned Buente to Triple-A.
Buente was designated for assignment yesterday by the Marlins to clear a spot on the active roster for Steve Cishek. The 27-year-old posted a 1.94 ERA, 9.5 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, and 0.2 HR/9 in 41 2/3 Triple-A innings this year, including five starts. He spent most of 2010 in relief, posting a 10.0 K/9 across three levels. Buente was a fifth-round pick of the Marlins in 2007.
The Rays claimed Delaney off waivers from the Twins in late January. The 26-year-old right-handed reliever had been optioned to Triple-A on Friday to open a spot for J.P. Howell. In recent years he's posted big strikeout rates at Triple-A, though he allowed ten home runs in 80 frames last year. Baseball America ranked him 24th among Twins prospects prior to the 2009 season, noting that Delaney does not throw particularly hard but his fastball has excellent sink and he has above-average command.
Marlins Designate Jay Buente For Assignment
The Marlins designated righty Jay Buente for assignment to open a spot on the 25-man roster for Steve Cishek, tweets Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. The move leaves the Marlins with 39 players on the 40-man roster.
Buente, 27, posted a 1.94 ERA, 9.5 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, and 0.2 HR/9 in 41 2/3 Triple-A innings this year, including five starts. He spent most of 2010 in relief, posting a 10.0 K/9 across three levels. Buente was a fifth-round pick of the Marlins in 2007.
Quick Hits: Branyan, Bedard, Vazquez, Turner
On this date in 1999, the Twins traded Scott Downs and Rick Aguilera to the Cubs for Kyle Lohse and Jason Ryan. Aguilera and Ryan ended their careers years ago, but Downs has a 0.84 ERA in 10 2/3 innings for the Angels this year while Lohse owns a 2.17 ERA in 66 1/3 innings for the Cardinals.
Here are Saturday's links, as Cliff Lee prepares to pitch against his former Rangers' teammates…
- Since joining the Red Sox, the club has learned that Adrian Gonzalez is a great mentor for their young Latin players, writes Peter Gammons of MLB.com.
- As Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter) points out, the Diamondbacks' release of Russell Branyan marks the end of his time with his tenth different club. He's had multiple stops in the same place as well as the Indians had and traded him four different times while the Brewers and the Mariners each had him twice.
- In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says that any team interested in trading for Erik Bedard would have to convince themselves that he could find the same comfort zone on their team that he has with the Mariners.
- Seattle is "almost certainly in position to ask for a top prospect" for Bedard according to Olney, who has a 3.94 ERA in eight starts this year but remains an injury risk given all his shoulder trouble.
- Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez indicated that Javier Vazquez is not pitching for his job today, writes Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. Vazquez has a 7.55 ERA with more walks (24) than strikeouts (20) in 39 1/3 innings across eight starts this year, in part because his fastball velocity has disappeared.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post points out that the Yankees once drafted Mets' infielder Justin Turner, but he turned down a $200K offer as 29th round pick in 2005 and returned to school for his senior season. Turner signed with the Reds for $50K as a seventh round pick in 2006, then was traded to the Orioles in the Ryan Freel–Ramon Hernandez swap and was later claimed off waivers by the Mets. He went 3-for-4 with an RBI against the Yanks last night.
NL East Notes: Marlins, Vazquez, Sanchez, Botts
Let's check out some tidbits from the National League East..
- Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter) doesn't see Kevin Millwood as being a quality upgrade over Javier Vazquez for the Marlins. He also tweets that the Fish are hopeful that Vazquez will turn things around soon.
- Rodriguez (via Twitter) also says that he could envision the Marlins thinking about an extension for Anibal Sanchez, but not until after the season. The 27-year-old will be arbitration eligible for the final time this winter.
- The Mets' signing of Jason Botts will help replenish Triple-A Buffalo, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The club also inked infielder Luis Figueroa and acquired outfielder Bubba Bell for the same purpose.
Quick Hits: Vazquez, Mets, Brewers, Rays, O’s
Here are some items of note for Sunday. On this day in 1941, 70 years ago, Joe DiMaggio began his Major League-record 56-game hitting streak, a mark that still stands today and has been largely unchallenged, as Jayson Stark of ESPN.com writes.
- It doesn't sound like the Marlins are ready to give up on Javier Vazquez, writes Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post. The Fish are paying Vazquez $7MM this year, but he allowed six runs in four innings today to raise his season ERA to 7.55.
- The New York Post's Brad Hamilton reminds us that on July 1, the Mets will begin paying Bobby Bonilla $1.2MM each year for the next 25 years. New York struck that deal in 1999 to avoid paying the $5.9MM remaining on his contract when they released him.
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy writes that despite the offensive woes of Carlos Gomez and Yuniesky Betancourt, the Brewers are sticking with them for the time being.
- Operating on a tight budget has its advantages for teams like the Rays, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Without extra cash to commit to pricey free agents, clubs like Tampa are rarely encumbered by poorly producing, highly compensated veterans, Sherman explains.
- Meanwhile, the Orioles would like to emulate the Rays' formula for success, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com.
- Should the Yankees come to part ways with Jorge Posada in the wake of Saturday's incident, they could use the DH spot to rest veterans like Alex Rodriguez, or they could pursue a new DH like Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com (subcription needed). Beltran is off to a great start with the Mets this season and could draw interest on the trade market, although Matt Klaassen of FanGraphs recently speculated that Beltran wouldn't yield much more than salary relief for the Mets.
- Pete Rose is still seeking a second chance to manage, and he thinks it's hypocritical that players and coaches who have used PEDs, abused alcohol and been involved in domestic-violence incidents remain in the game, according to an Associated Press report (via ESPN.com).
NL East Notes: Beltran, Nationals, Hanley
On this date in 2000, the Mets released Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson. You might think a 41-year-old with a .219 average would have trouble finding work, but Rickey Henderson was no ordinary 41-year-old. The speedster signed with Seattle, where he stole 31 bases in 40 attempts. Remarkably, Henderson stole another 42 bases in 2001, his age 42 season. Here are some links from the NL East (though none of them can keep up with the Man of Steal)…
- It will be interesting to see how Carlos Beltran’s $18.5MM salary affects other teams’ interest in him midseason, as ESPN.com's Buster Olney explains. Few teams have $6MM kicking around for a two-month rental, and that’s how much will remain on Beltran’s contract at the end of July. Olney suggests the Mets could get a decent prospect for Beltran if he continues his hot hitting (the free agent to be had a three-homer game yesterday).
- Brian Broderick and Henry Rodriguez are on the Nationals' roster because demoting them to the minors would mean exposing them to waivers, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. As a result, Broderick, a Rule 5 pick, and Rodriguez, who is out of options, stay in the organization, though they aren't called upon in crucial situations.
- Before yesterday's game, struggling Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez promised he'll have seven homers and a .290 batting average by May 30th, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Ramirez, 27, has two homers and a .217/.308/.302 line after homering last night.